Hotcomm. (2003). Synchronous tools and the emerging online learning model. Retrieved August 12, 2011, from http://hotcomm.com/tec/dlwp.pdf

Keegan,D. 1995. Distance education technology for the new millennium: Compressed video teaching. ZIFF Papiere IO 1. ERIC, ED 3 89-93 1.Marjanovic, O. (1999). Learning and teaching in a synchronous collaborative environment. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 15, 129-138.

Pena-Shaff, J. B., & Nicholls, C. (2004). Analyzing student interactions and meaning construction in computer bulletin board discussions. Computers & Education, 42(3), 243 265.

People’s Open Access Education Initiative. Ettiquette of using Discussion forums. Retrieved , July 31, 2011, from http://www.peoples-uni.org/book/ettiquette-using-discussion-forums

Teachers first home, 2007. Blogs basic for the classroom. The source for learning Inc. Retrieved   July 31, 2011. From http://legacy.teachersfirst.com/content/blog/blogbasics.cfm

References:

Clark, R.C. and Mayer, R.E. (2002) E-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven     Guidelines for             Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning. San Francisco: Jossey-  Bass Pfeiffer.

De Gara, C., & Boora, R. (2006). Using Elluminate as a simple solution for telehealth initiatives            for continuing medical education. In T. Reeves & S. Yamashita (Eds.), Proceedings of world conference on e-learning in corporate, government, healthcare, and higher education 2006 (pp. 476-480). Chesapeake, VA: AACE.

Dorman, J. P., & Fraser, B. J. (2009). Psychosocial environment and affective outcomes in            technology-rich classrooms: Testing a causal model. Social Psychology of Education, 12(1),77-99.

Efronters, April 10,2010.The three types of interaction in an open source learning management system. Retrieved July 31, 2011. From http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S11n-E34BRw&feature=youtu.be

 Google. YouTube Help. Retrieved July 31, 2011. From        http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/topic.py?hl=en&topic=17173 

Hart, J. (n.d.). Webinar. Retrieved July 30, 2011, from Hart Creative Marketing Inc.:     

In conclusion,the idea of appropriate application implies that learning experiences suitable to the needs of the individual learner and the learning situation should be available and that the availability of learning experiences should be proper and timely. In other words, learning experiences that are made available to either distant or face-to-face learners should allow delivery of instructional ideas that fit the expectations and facilities available to them. Which tools are used by learners and teachers, and whether such tools will be used at all, will always depend on the specific pedagogical needs of a teaching situation. Common to all of these technologies is that they are strongly social and community based.

 Email

Email is a form of asynchronous communication use in distance learning course to interact betweens peers and instructors, via through the course management system. The students will be able to communicate privately with the instructor or other peers in the online course. 

The true benefit of these resources goes well beyond cost, however. Free, collaborative tools can create paperless classrooms, build staff interaction and morale, and better promote the strengths of the organization. Multimedia tools - far easier to learn than most would think - allow InDesign to capture your attention with a variety of visuals and to use digital storytelling modules to far better engage you in their learning and sharing. While this orientation will cover a multitude of tools, their importance will be considered from two frames - how they help you learn and how they save the organization safety measures.

 References:

Alexander, B. (2006). A new way of innovation for teaching and learning. Educause Review,41(2), 32−44. Bauer, J. F. (2002). Assessing student work from chatrooms and bulletin boards. In R. S.

Anderson, J. F. Bauer, and B. W. Speck (Eds.), Assessment strategies for the on-line     class: From theory to practice. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 91. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 

Castaneda, D. A. (2007). The Effects of Wiki-and Blog-technologies on the Students’Performance When Learning the Preterite and Imperfect Aspects in Spanish.Unpublished Doctoral, West Virginia University, Morgantown.

 Blog

Text chat is a synchronous tool that will allow you to communicate via typed text in real time. You will post messages and respond to other learners’ messages when it is received. Blogs are also called online diaries which enable you, without requirement of any technical skill, to create, publish and organize your own web pages that contain dated content, entries, comments, discussion etc. in chronological order (Alexander, 2006; Castenade, 2007).You will be able to publish information which other employees can collect from various resources on safety and establish relation between them in blogs. Additionally RSS and the possibility to post comments make blogs also a collaborative and social-interactive software application (Petter et al., 2005). It is suggested that blogs will enhance your writing skills, facilitate reflecting themselves, encourage critical thinking with collaborative learning, and provide feedback and active learning (Seitzinger, 2006). The safety blogs is well suited to serve as online personal journals because it will enable you to sharing files and resources and publishing blogs on the Internet and students has the possibility of writing for reader beyond classmates (Godwin, 2003).  Please use the following link to help gain knowledge on how to blog. http://www.blogger.com/tour_start.g 

Assessment

In the blended environment, assessment will be done in both learning environments and must be done in such a way that they complement each other. For instance, you may earn points you’re your participation in classroom discussions as well as their online discussion, points for in face-to face class activities such as group projects. “Traditional exams with multiple-choice questions are adequate for the knowledge and comprehension levels of Bloom’s taxonomy but cannot accurately measure the depth of critical thinking and reflection that occurs in an engaged learning environment. Evaluation of critical thinking and reflection requires assessment methods that encourage individual expression, perhaps through answering open-ended questions or completing a culminating project” (Conrad and Donaldson, 2004, p. 25).

All correlated videos will be in .mpeg format and will be posted to each module under the content heading. They will be linked to their internet location on YouTube. You will not need to download the videos, but will be able to view them on the course website. You will be more technology savvy than ever before. Therefore finding ways to reach you through your preferred media outlets is critical. YouTube provides faculty with a wealth of content choices, ranging from music videos, movies, television shows and other online resources that can be integrated into traditional lessons to engage you and enhance learning. The following link will allow you to learn how to download youtube videos and convert.

http://www.ilovefreesoftware.com/18/videos/video-tutorial-how-to-use-youtube-downloader-to-download-youtube-videos.html

Podcast                    

The term of podcast is constituted of words of iPod (portable digital audio player form apple) and broadcasting and they are basically digital audio programs that can be subscribed to and downloaded by users via RSS and listened to on either a variety of digital audio services or desktop computer (Petter et al., 2005). With on-demand nature and portability features, podcast allow you to catch up on audio content while completing other tasks without having to sit at a computer. They also have some limitations as being linear and one way, which is why they need to be integrated with blogs, online simulations and other more interactive channels (Kaplan-Leiserson, 2005). Especially as podcasting is being used with mobile devices, it can be viewed as another variant of mobile learning. Because of the time and cost resources are limitations for mobile learning, podcasting can be an alternative (Kaplan-Leiserson, 2005). Although podcasting is not a synchronous activity, it provides you with the information that will help you feel connected to learning community and this may be even pedagogically appropriate within courses to allow you to create your own podcasts for the rest of the employees to use as a reinforcement resource. Please use the following link to help make your experience with podcasting easier. http://www.rapidfeeds.com/podcasting-step-by-step.php